9 Indian-Origin CEOs Leading Global Powerhouses Today
Across industries and continents, Indian-origin executives are leading some of the world’s most powerful companies, reshaping innovation and strategy at a global scale. These nine leaders have roots in India’s rich academic traditions—ranging from IITs and IIMs to top international universities—and now stand at the helm of global giants. Sundar Pichai, raised in Chennai and educated at IIT Kharagpur, Stanford, and Wharton, heads Google and Alphabet. Satya Nadella, a Manipal alumnus, leads Microsoft. Shantanu Narayen of Adobe, Ajay Banga of the World Bank, and Arvind Krishna of IBM all share similar journeys—strong Indian foundations, sharpened abroad. George Kurian leads NetApp; Nikesh Arora drives Palo Alto Networks. Fashion enters the list too—Leena Nair, a former Unilever CHRO, now runs Chanel. Ravi Kumar S, with a background at Infosys, took charge of Cognizant in 2023. Together, these visionaries demonstrate how Indian education, coupled with global exposure, is shaping boardrooms and futures worldwide.
